Compositions with antimicrobial properties have long been known in the art. Known antimicrobial agents include: (1) acids, such as, acetic, benzoic, boric, hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric, sulfuric; (2) alkalis, such as calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, trisodium phosphate, sodium borate, sodium carbonate; (3) aldehydes, such as, acetyl aldehyde, formaldehyde, glyceraldehyde; (4) aromatic oils, such as camphor, cinnamon, peppermint, pine; (5) dyes, such as acridine and malachite green; (6) sulfonamides, such as sulfanilamide, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine. Additional known antimicrobial agents include: (7) alcohols, such as methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, benzyl; (8) coal-tar derivatives, such as, phenol, para-nitrophenol; (9) reducing agents, such as carbon monoxide, sodium thiosulfate; (10) oxidizing agents, such as, bromine, chorine, iodine, perchloric acid, sodium permanganate; (11) surface active agents, such as anionics (sulfonates), cationics (quaternary ammonium salts), non-ionics (alkylated aryl polyether alcohol); and (12) metal salts of, for example, aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron, mercury, silver and zinc.
These and other antimicrobial agents are used in one form or another in hospitals, eating and drinking establishments, dairies, food processing plants and homes among other places to kill various microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoans. Particularly, these antimicrobial agents are referred to as disinfectants when applied to inanimate objects to kill microorganisms and antiseptics when applied to living tissue to kill microorganisms.
An ideal antimicrobial agent or composition would rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoans, not be corrosive and not destroy or discolor materials on which it is utilized and not be rapidly inactivated by organic matter. Despite advances made through the years in the development of antimicrobial agents and compositions, an ideal agent or composition that would maintain its efficacy in an organic matter environment and destroy all of these organisms without causing any residual toxic side effects is yet to be developed. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved antimicrobial composition more closely meeting the desirable characteristics and properties described.